SAN Miguel remained unbeaten since effecting a coaching change while Barangay Ginebra suffered its first loss as the sister teams met contrasting fates in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup on Sunday.
The Beermen whipped the Blackwater Bossing, 115-102, to give Leo Austria a second straight win since returning as head coach to replace Jorge Gallent.
On the other hand, the cold-shooting Kings went down against an Eastern side that sizzled from three-point range. The guest team's 93-90 win snapped a two-game Ginebra winning run to start its conference.
San Miguel rose to 3-2 and Eastern to 5-1 to take solo second place.
The Kings, who were 1-of-23 from the four-point line and three-point range combined, fell to 2-1, while Blackwater skidded to 1-4.
Here are the takeaways in the doubleheader at the Ynares Center in Antipolo:
1. FATIGUE CATCHES UP WITH GINEBRA – the woeful 5 percent shooting from downtown (1-of-19) isn’t a reflection of the Kings' shooting prowess. It’s more of Ginebra finally feeling the effects of playing three games in five days. The legs weren’t there as coach Tim Cone pointed out. And if that’s not enough, the coming week is expeceted to be as brutal as the previous one. The Kings return to the court on Wednesday against Terrafirma at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium. On Saturday, the team will play Converge in Batangas City for the league’s first road game this conference. After four days, the Kings are scheduled to be the top draw in the PBA's Christmas Day offering, battling long-time rival Magnolia Hotshots at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
2. AUSTRIA FACES FIRST ACID TEST – with all due respect for Terrafirm and Blackwater, the Beermen faced bottom teams in Austria’s first two outings since assuming the head-coaching job of the time. The champion coach’s ultimate test comes this week when the defending champion battles guest team Eastern in back-to-back games. The Beermen travel to Hong Kong and face the host squad in their East Asia Super League (EASL) showdown on Wednesday, and then have their rematch at home on Sunday as they tangle at the Philsports Arena.
3. CHRIS MCLAUGHLIN PROVING HIS WORTH WITH EASTERN – he may not be as flashy as fellow import Cameron Clark, but the 6-foot-10 McLaughlin has been getting the job done for Eastern. Against the Kings, the 32-year-old product of University of Victoria had 20 points, 21 rebounds, and six assists while shooting an efficient 9-of-14 from the floor. In the two games he played so far as replacement for the 6-foot-6 Clark, McLaughlin averaged 26 points and 22 rebounds - both of which translated to victories for the Hong Kong-based team.
Get more of the latest sports news & updates on SPIN.ph
NOTICE ON UNAUTHORIZED AND UNLAWFUL USE, PUBLICATION, AND/OR DISSEMINATION OF SPIN.PH CONTENT: Please be notified that any unauthorized and unlawful use, publication, and/or dissemination of Spin.ph’s content and/or materials is a direct violation of its legal and exclusive rights to the same, and shall be subject to appropriate legal action/s.
